'Best' Algonac Unbeatable So Far as Highly-Anticipated Drive for Finals Begins
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 10, 2022
Jake Kasner knows the hard work is still ahead for him and his Algonac wrestling teammates.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate what the Muskrats already have accomplished.
“It’s great,” the Algonac senior 152-pounder said. “We had a couple tournaments cut short, and we had some teammates out – really the only dual we had our whole team was against Richmond. Everyone has been stepping up when we need them, and we continue to win duals whenever possible. I’m very proud of our team in that way.”
Algonac is 21-0 and ranked No. 4 in Division 3 and won Wednesday’s Team District with a championship victory over Clawson. The team collected hardware throughout the year and finished a program-best second in the Macomb County Invitational.
While that incredible season did not include a Blue Water Area Conference championship, the Muskrats were 5-0 in the league, including a win against perennial state power Richmond, something no BWAC team had achieved since 2004.
“We’ve been trying to harp on consistency,” Algonac coach Brian Ranger said. “In past years, we had some tough teams where one week they looked amazing, and the next week not so much. We’ve been working to have that same, consistent effort every week and being the best version of ourselves. We don’t have kids worry so much about the other teams. We’re good enough now where if we wrestle to the best of our abilities, we can wrestle with anyone. We’re making sure we bring the same championship-level effort every time.”
Ranger took over at Algonac before the 2011-12 season, inheriting a program with no youth feeder system and 11 high school wrestlers.
Over his first 10 seasons, Ranger turned the program around, winning five District championships and – along with the help of his friend and assistant coach Ken Thomas – built the youth program to more than 70 wrestlers.
Algonac spent plenty of time over those 10 years among the top teams in the BWAC and ranked among the top 10 in Division 3.
The team also ended each of those previous 10 seasons with a District or Regional loss against Richmond.
“For whatever reason, we never wrestled as well as we should have at the end of the season against Richmond, and it pained me,” Ranger said. “I was always kind of searching every offseason for why we weren’t performing better against some of these better teams. This year, we focused on being the best us. If we’re the best us, we’re pretty hard to beat.”
Algonac’s best could be enough to end the streak this year, but it’s tough to fault the Muskrats for previous defeats. Richmond – the alma mater of both Ranger and Thomas – has won eight Division 3 Finals titles since 2000 and has been a Division 3 finalist eight of the past 10 seasons.
The Blue Devils won the BWAC title this year, taking first at the league tournament and edging Algonac in dual points thanks to the Muskrats having to cancel an early-season league date against Imlay City and Croswell-Lexington.
Richmond may be waiting for the Muskrats in the Regional Final, but first must wrestle No. 10-ranked Yale, the tournament host next Wednesday. On the other side of the bracket, Algonac will face Imlay City, which Ranger considers a top-10 caliber team.
While Algonac may have put a target on its back with the earlier win against Richmond, the bigger takeaway could be the confidence gained by the Muskrats heading into the postseason.
“It was a little bit more of a mental victory, if anything,” Ranger said. “For so long, we haven’t performed when it came to a match like that. We’re still proving to ourselves that we are good enough for those moments.”
The Muskrats are a young team, with 10 underclassmen in the starting lineup, including seven freshmen. The final five matches against Richmond were wrestled by Algonac underclassmen, as they pulled out a 31-29 victory. Six freshmen – Chris Campbell (second, 103), Sky Langewicz (fourth, 103), Lucky Gartin (third, 112), Steve Shannon (third, 119), Alex Bright (third, 125) and Reid Hiltunen (second, 160) – placed at the BWAC tournament.
“I saw it coming,” said Kasner, who won a BWAC title at 152. “We’ve had all the younger kids coming up through the youth program. There was a big gap the last few years in the lower weights, and we knew we were going to get a lot of that filled, so if you ask me, this isn’t really a surprise. (The younger wrestlers) come to practice every day, and we expect the same thing from them as we expect from everyone else. They give it their all every day, including the Richmond match.”
Those younger contributors not only came up through the Algonac youth program, they thrived while taking part.
“My young kids, this is kind of all they know,” Ranger said. “They’re not super surprised; they’re kind of used to it. I think it’s surprising to some people around our community and other communities. I think (this season) took that belief to another level, but they kind of already had that inside of them, that we’re this good and we need to be like this every year.”
As the talent base was building, Ranger also was working on himself as a coach. The former Elmhurst University wrestler has been tweaking his approach over the past decade – not so much in what he physically teaches, but the mental aspect.
“I’ve always known how to show wrestling moves, but it was kind of some of that mental preparation – how to get them ready mentally and physically, how to peak at the right time,” Ranger said. “Most of my philosophy I use here has been stolen from about 27 different people, plus (former Richmond coach George Hamblin), and my college coach was a Division I national champion. I still haven’t learned it all. I’m also trying to stay positive in the corner as much as I can. I’m an emotional guy, and if something goes wrong, I used to wear that in my body language too often.”
That emotion is sure to come out, though, if the Muskrats can accomplish what is now in front of them – advancing to the Team Wrestling Finals for the first time in program history.
“We all love (the coaches), everyone on our team,” Kasner said. “They work so hard for our team. Coach Thomas drives 45 minutes just to get to practice every day. To (beat their alma mater) for them after all the years and all the stuff they did for us, we were happy for them, too.
“We’ve prepared all season and took it one day at a time. We’re going to be ready. We’ve been ready. I think we have a good shot to be the first team to make it to team state from Algonac. But there’s no for sures.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Algonac coach Brian Ranger gives Alex Bright a pep talk this season. (Middle) The Muskrats’ Lucky Gartin works for a pin. (Photos courtesy of the Algonac wrestling program.)
Amrhein's Pin Run Highlights Another Record-Setting Finals for Dundee
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2025
DETROIT – The Dundee wrestling program had another statement night at the 2025 MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals.
The Vikings tied the MHSAA record for most individual champions in a single year with eight, matching their 2021 effort.
Of the eight champions, none was more impressive than junior Jeremy Amrhein, who won his first title at 157 pounds.
The junior ran through the competition all weekend, winning all of his four matches by pinfall during the first period.
The longest bout was Saturday’s championship, where Amrhein (45-6) defeated Constantine junior Brody Jones (55-2) in 1:17.
“I was just going out there and trying my best. It was my first time winning the state final, so I was nervous, but I just had to go out there and give it my all,” Amrhein said. “I think my cardio was where it needed to be this weekend. It has allowed me to become stronger and more dominant. I was expecting three periods for this final, but I will take the early night.”
Adding to the victory for Amrhein is that it also marked his 100th win of his high school career.
106
Champion: Danny Vaneeckhoutte, Erie-Mason, Soph. (46-2)
Decision, 5-3, over Branlun Simon, Portland, Soph. (45-5)
Vaneeckhoutte took a 5-0 lead midway through the final and held off a game Simon.
“I knew I had to dig deep,” Vaneeckhoutte said. “I knew the match was getting late and (Simon) got two, but I wasn’t going to give up. It felt great to hear that final whistle and be a champion.”
Vaneeckhoutte scored takedowns in each of the first two rounds. Simon threatened with a reversal in the third to make it 5-3, but couldn’t get any closer.
113
Champion: Mason Katschor, Dundee, Soph. (34-5)
Fall (3:45), over Mackey McClelland, Yale, Fr. (44-4)
Katschor won his second championship in as many years, as the sophomore pinned McClelland in the second period.
“It was on my mind all the time,” Katschor said of winning a second title. “I work hard all year for these moments.”
Katschor had an 8-1 lead after the first period and got a reversal to open the second, which eventually led to the pinfall.
120
Champion: Mason Haines, Dundee, Jr. (37-5)
Decision, 4-2, over Haydn Nutt, Dundee, Jr. (31-7)
After being forced to forfeit in the District Final and Regional Final, Haines finally got his match with Dundee teammate Nutt.
With things tied 1-1 in the third period after each scored an escape, it was Haines that managed a takedown that pushed him to the victory.
“After having to forfeit the last two tournaments, I was going to leave it all on the mat today,” Haines said. “I got what I wanted, a state title.”
126
Champion: Dale Gant, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Jr. (40-1)
Technical Fall (5:02), 21-6, over Logan Whidden, Comstock Park, Sr. (33-4)
Gant cleared his third hurdle toward becoming the next four-time individual champion.
After winning the 113-pound title as a freshman in 2023, Gant won the 120-pound title as a sophomore in 2024.
This year, Gant scored seven takedowns to earn the technical fall and put his focus toward his senior season.
“That is everyone’s goal, to be a four-time state champion. Now that I have three, that is where my focus is,” Gant said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s definitely a goal I have set for myself.”
132
Champion: Braden Broderick, Dundee, Jr. (35-10)
Decision, 1-0, over Lucky Gartin, Algonac, Sr. (53-6)
After finishing runner-up at 120 pounds last year, Broderick dug deep to win a low-scoring match in the 132-pound final Saturday.
After a scoreless first period, Broderick executed an escape to start the second, then rode Gartin for two minutes in the third to win, 1-0.
“We do these situations all the time in the practice room. I was tired, but I knew that was all that stood between me and a state title,” Broderick said of the third period. “I just wanted it more and got it done. Last year really stung, so it drove me each day and in that third period.”
138
Champion: Wyatt Burns, Dundee, Soph. (38-9)
Decision, 7-2, over Jacob Fink, Richmond, Sr. (39-9)
In a rematch from last week’s Regional Final that went to an ultimate tie-breaker, Burns made sure he left no doubt in Saturday’s championship match.
He scored a quick takedown in the opening period and then added another one late in the third to claim his first title.
“I just made sure to stay on my offense. I didn’t attack like I needed to last week. I think that was the difference this time,” Burns said. “I knew I had the speed and the takedowns to win. I just needed to believe in my abilities.”
144
Champion: Mikey Wilson, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Sr. (46-1)
Technical Fall (5:14), 15-0, over Stone Redmon, Dundee, Fr. (43-14)
Wilson won his second consecutive championship in dominant fashion, not giving up a point.
He had a pair of takedowns that were followed by numerous near-fall points to earn the tech fall in the third.
His 144-pound title came a year after he won the 138-pound championship.
“If you put this tournament on too much of a pedestal, it’s going to impact how you wrestle, so I tried not to let the focus be on this match or winning another title, just going out and wrestling to the best of my ability,” Wilson said.
150
Champion: Blake Cosby, Dundee, Jr. (37-0)
Technical Fall (1:56), 19-4, over Bryson Boucher, Lakewood, Soph. (46-7)
Cosby completed an unbeaten season and won his second-consecutive championship with an impressive tech fall in the first period.
Cosby had five takedowns in the first and used some near-fall points to secure the win. Last year, he was the champion at 144 pounds.
“I wanted to go out and dominate. I knew I could do it; the training has been there,” Cosby said. “I know nobody is working as hard as me, so if I just go out and wrestle, I will get positive results.”
165
Champion: Donny Beaufait, Dundee, Jr. (47-1)
Fall (4:42), over Julian Walker, Algonac, Jr. (53-6)
Losing in the 2024 150-pound Final in an ultimate tie-breaker stuck with Beaufait throughout this season.
In Saturday’s 165-pound Final, he was going to leave no doubt.
With the match trending toward a technical fall in the third period, Beaufait managed to get Walker’s shoulders on the mat to close out his junior year with his first championship.
“The match last year affected how I approached this season in every way. From the summer, to lifting, to practices, to each match of the season, it drove me,” Beaufait said. “This year, I was going to make sure nobody but me decided how things were going to go.”
175
Champion: Kole Katschor, Dundee, Sr. (44-4)
Major Decision, 10-2, over Alex Hicks, Hart, Sr. (53-3)
Katschor secured his third-consecutive championship thanks to a pair of early takedowns that gave him a sizable lead.
“There was a little bit of pressure coming into this, but I am just glad I could end my career with a third state title,” Katschor said.
After winning the 150-pound championship as a sophomore and the 157-pound title as a junior, Katschor was the eighth and final champion on the night for the Vikings.
“It’s a great program with a lot of great wrestlers that do things the right way,” Katschor said of Dundee. “I am very proud to be able to be part of the success that Dundee has had.”
190
Champion: Gavin Craner, Whitehall, Sr. (58-0)
Major Decision, 11-0, over Rocco Redmon, Dundee, Jr. (27-5)
Craner concluded a second-consecutive unbeaten season with a dominant 11-0 victory.
He won the 175-pound title as a junior and went 112-0 over the last two years.
“I just had the mindset that nobody could touch me this weekend,” Craner said. “It’s been a tough season, but it’s all about keeping that positive mindset. If I am scoring points, I don’t think anyone can beat me.”
Craner got points in all three periods, scoring takedowns in the first and third, along with near-fall points in the second.
215
Champion: Wyatt Jenkins, Whitehall, Sr. (53-3)
Decision, 4-3, over Josh Petersen, Hillsdale, Sr. (50-4)
Jenkins had scored three first-round pins this weekend coming into Saturday’s Final.
However, Petersen gave him a championship-worthy match.
After Jenkins established a 4-0 lead in the first period, Petersen fought back to cut the deficit to one point. But Jenkins managed to hold on, driven by the motivation of his ailing grandfather.
“My grandfather is at home and not sure how much time he has left, so that was what was on my mind today and what was pushing me in that third round,” Jenkins said. “I am proud to be a state champion, but I really just wanted to do it for him more than myself. It feels good to get this for him.”
285
Champion: Reid Hiltunen, Algonac, Sr. (55-1)
Major Decision, 11-1, over Joel Simon, Lake Odessa Lakewood, Sr. (49-5)
Hiltunen stormed out to an 11-0 lead after one period and then did his part to keep Simon from getting back in the match, securing his first championship.
“I felt like I could dominate on my feet and on top,” Hiltunen said. “The first period was great, being able to put up 11 points. My mindset all year had been to win this, and it feels amazing to have it all come together.
Hiltunen scored a takedown in the first period and then had two near-fall attempts score four points each. Simon wasn’t able to mount much offense from there, as Hiltunen proved to be elusive.
PHOTO Dundee’s Jeremy Amrhein, in blue, hoists his opponent into the air during their Division 3 championship match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)